STAND AND DELIVER
Food and beverage concessions are also an important
component of the fan dining experience, and with a crowd
seeking more sharable content or a client seeking more bang
for their buck, Iowa Rotocast Plastics specializes in creating more
interactive and custom branded kiosks. Novelty carts and kiosks,
such as a New Orleans street car placed in the Ernest N. Morial
Convention Center or a Chicago L train car placed in Guaranteed
Rate Field can increase fan engagement while also increasing
food and beverage revenue.
a maximum of 200 members to create exclusivity, while
at higher price levels, more square footage should be
allocated per person. It’s important to avoid gaps in the
ladder, so if the premium experience costs US$5,000
and the level below is US$1,000, those who could
afford to pay US$2,000 to US$4,000 are inevitably
forced downwards, depriving the venue of revenue.
Finding the right concepts for premium spaces
requires collaboration. On the Tottenham Hotspur
project, the club worked with Forward Associates, F3
Architects, Populous and Levy Restaurants to develop
a range of options for the top-tier H Club. A key idea
was to rotate celebrity chefs for each game,
including Chris Galvin, Bryn Williams and
Dipna Anand, so members never get bored
as the menu is always changing. Other
experiences include the Chefs’ Table,
where guests interact with chefs as they
cook, and the Players’ Table, where they
dine with club legends. “We created
flexible options, including fine dining,
a brasserie and a lounge, so it becomes
like a private members club. It’s
VIP HOSPITALITY
important to allow upgrades, such as more expensive
Champagne,” Westwood says.
As the sport experience in the UK evolves into
a more American model, rather than see fans quickly
leave the stadium after a game, premium members are
encouraged to stay. The H Club is open three hours
before kick-off and by the time members have dined
afterwards, they’ve been there seven hours.
“These bucket list events allow guests to use the
space as a base for a day. They have breakfast and drop
off a jacket, then watch sports and keep returning
throughout the day,” he says. “Soccer games are over
much faster than a day’s tennis, or cricket, but the
sport is slowly moving closer to the US model of
tailgating at American Football games where they
arrive four hours early.”
Social influence
The modern social trends influencing hospitality
are evident at Wembley Stadium, in London, where
its Number Nine members club will open in August
2019. Menus are inspired by famous London food
destinations, such as Brick Lane, Billingsgate and
Smithfield markets. And there will be an echo of trends
in the capital’s eating habits with the provision of
international street food. The interiors of Number Nine
have been styled by KSS Design to create the feel of
a luxury retreat. It has plenty of greenery, Herringbone
floor tiling, lattice screens and bright brass metalwork.
The move to create premium dining experiences
is not just evident in soccer. In Leeds, for
example, interior design specialists Nanu
Soda has created premium dining spaces
for the Emerald Headingley Stadium,
which is shared between the city’s
cricket and rugby teams. Bespoke
lighting, natural fiber wallpapers
and parquet flooring create a far
more luxurious feel than the previous
hospitality spaces.
(Above) Wembley Stadium’s
new members-only Number 9
Club styled by KSS Design
(Below) Headingley Stadium’s
premium hospitality area offers
panoramic views over both
its cricket and rugby pitches
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